A New Prime
by AuditoresGirl
Summary: A longer version of the goodbye between Optimus and Smokescreen in the last episode in Season 2. Not meant as slash, although it could pass as such, if you squint.


**Hi there! Itsa me, AuditoresGirl!**

** I wanted to write a fic about Optimus and Smokescreens goodbye to each other at the base, cause I feel they deserve a goodbye scene :D I hope this doesn't suck, please go on and read!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own, Transformers Prime, sadly. If i did, I wouldn't be posting it here :P. **

Smokescreen had no idea that this day was going to be so heart wrenchingly horrible.

It had started off a normal day, doing a morning patrol, teasing one of his favorite humans, Jack, annoying Ratchet, stealing a cube of energon from the grumpy Arcee with his accomplice Bumblebee. Just the usual stuff at the Autobot base. Then, all of a sudden, it had all gone wrong. Terribly, horribly, disastrously wrong.

Now, as he faced the ground-bridge that was going to transport him to a random location Ratchet had typed in, he gazed at the pure, blue swirling light in front of him. The whole time he had been with this little group of Autobots, he had experienced the most amazing moments and memories. Finally being able to serve as a full time warrior, meeting a very friendly little bot called Bumblebee, being introduced to Raf, Miko and Jack, the little organic beings.

They were a funny bunch, those humans. Always getting in dangerous situations and somehow managing to stubbornly cling to life. Primus, Jack had even been to _Cybertron _and back, defeated a Decepticon with only a piece of metal and a herd of scraplets. Raf had been hit by dark energon and pulled through, with the help of Ratchet and Nurse Darby. Miko had been to countless Decepticon and Autobot battles, without permission, and had even managed to take a few pictures. They and Agent Fowler had been on the fragging Nemesis while it had been controlled by dark energon, and had come back basically undeterred, if for a slight electrocution to Agent Fowler.

Yep, those humans were… something else.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by the fall of heavy footsteps.

_Optimus. _

That was one of the sole reasons he was feeling so dejected, so saddened, as he stood before the ground-bridge. The leader of the Autobots had been his idol, his hero, in the battle on Cybertron. He had looked up to the royal blue and red mech, he had trusted this bot with his life even if he had never met him before. He had put his unwavering faith and trust into the Prime that he could pull them through the harsh and cold battle, that he could defeat the army of Decepticons and that he would rise above the evil Megatron. He had hoped and prayed to, someday, meet the Prime and too be able to speak to him and thank him for everything he had done for Cybertron, or had tried to do.

Then, he had finally met him. _The _Optimus Prime. The bearer of the Matrix of Leadership, the Last Prime, the Leader of the Autobots. Smokescreen had felt… in the clouds. Finally, at long last, he had found him. He had found Optimus, and he could finally thank him. He had been temped to drop to his knees right then and there and give his prayers and thanks to the slightly surprised mech. But no, he was going to do it in private, he had decided. He had met Optimus, and that was more than enough for the moment. Actually, it was more than he excepted in his entire _lifetime. _He could wait a few breems.

***flashback* **

Sir, may I… speak to you… in private?"

Smokescreen cringed at how his own words sounded on his tounge and shifted on his feet uncomfortably, dipping his head down as his leader turned his head questioningly to him. Smokescreen's cheeks blushed a furious red as he met his leaders warm and calm blue gaze. Optimus cocked his head to the side." What seems to be the problem, Smokescreen?"

Smokescreen nervously folded his hands behind his back, looking everywhere but at Optimus' optics. His gaze settled on the very interesting gray, sterile floor he was standing on. So very, very interesting… If he focused closely enough, he could see the tiny amount of dust settling on the floor." Just… please, just follow me, sir."

Optimus raised his eyebrow for a moment, looking at Smokescreen with a curious look, then followed the gray red and blue mech into the hallway. Smokescreen kept walking deeper and deeper into the base, passing the relics and Bumblebee's quarters. He made extra sure not to glance up as he passed Arachnid, who was frozen is stasis-lock. He had heard about that femme from Arcee the second week he had been on the Autobot base. All he knew was she was a sadistic, evil Decepticon that had tried to kill almost everyone at some point. Smokescreen shuddered as he passed her. That was one 'Con he did _not _want to meet.

He passed he med-bay, before finally stopping in a long, dimly-lit hallway. Smokescreen stared in front of him for a moment, gathering up his courage to speak to the giant mech standing behind him. He sighed through his air-vents, clenching his hands into fists. _You can do this, _Smokescreen thought hesitantly, nervousness eating away at him._ All you have to do is turn around and just open your mouth and talk. That's it. Simple._

He spun around suddenly, and dropped swiftly to his knees in front of his leader. He heard Optimus take a step back, grunting in surprise at Smokescreens actions. Smokescreen almost grinned as he imagined what Optimus' face looked like, but he just fastened his gaze to the floor in front of Optimus' toes, humbly off lining his optics and putting his hands on the ground in a show of complete surrender to the mech before him. Smokescreen was silent for a moment, breathing shallowly. At last, he shifted slightly and spoke softly.

"Permission to speak, sir."

"…"

Permission granted."

He looked up, optics onlining once more, and paused. Optimus' face was filled with curiosity, uncertainty. His eyebrows were pulled together, and his mouth was pressed in a thin, flat line. He had put his weight backwards on his pedes, and then raised one eyebrow, as if asking, _well? _There was something else too, something he hadn't expected.

Embarrassment.

Smokescreen felt hurt for a second. Perhaps Optimus didn't want him to do this, perhaps he shouldn't even have asked. Smokescreen frowned dejectedly for a moment. Then, another possibility presented itself in his processor. Perhaps… Optimus just wasn't used to this kind of treatment. Maybe he wasn't used to this, and he was just embarrassed because no one had ever outright thanked him, or he just didn't expect Smokescreen to say anything.

" Sir… I want to… thank you."

Smokescreen watched Optimus, unblinking, as his eyes widened in surprise, his optics going a brighter blue, and his mouth twisting into a sort of embarrassed, confused expression.

" During the war, before I decided to become a soldier, I was a simple civilian. I lived alone, had a few friends around the city, and I lived with my loving creators. I was an everyday bot. Then, I started hearing about the attacks, the killings, the destruction. I heard of all those homeless families, those parentless sparklings. I heard of the… Decepticons." Smokescreen paused, his eyes far away for a moment. It was as if he was remembering those moments on Cybertron, like he was lost in a tidal wave of memories, and he was unable to keep his head above the flowing water. Then, he looked once more into Optimus' eyes, and he resurfaced, blinking his eyes and clearing his gaze to rest on his leader again.

"I felt so… hopeless. So weak. I wanted to do something. And yet, I had no idea how to help people. I was seeing everything I had, everyone I knew, crumble to dust, right in front of me, and I was powerless. I _felt _powerless." Smokescreen then let a little smile grace his lips." Then, I heard of the Autobots. I heard of a group of mechs and femmes fighting the chaos, and restoring order, and rebuilding society. And…" He grinned." I immediately wanted in. I wanted to do something, anything, to help Cybertron, even if it was a little late."

"I always wanted to meet you, sir, because, when I heard of _you, _I felt so much more hopeful, and in control of my fate. I wanted to thank you for making me believe again, making me believe that we can be saved."

Optimus looked on at his newest recruit, Smokescreen. He hadn't expected him show any signs of loyalty, devotion, or anything like that to the Autobot cause to soon on. He knew that he had some potential for a professional fighter, and he had let him stay. Optimus believed in Smokescreen, he just needed to prove himself to him. He had accepted Smokescreen, and allowed him to accompany the Autobots, hoping he would eventually learn the ways of his small group.

He had not been disappointed.

***end flashback***

He heard Optimus slow down and stop beside him quietly, staring into the ground bridge with him. Smokescreen bowed his head for a moment, as if, by looking away from it, he could change his fate. Then he looked up at Optimus with his eyes full of despair, pain, reluctance. He didn't want to leave the base. He didn't want to leave the only home he had, the only place he had left that hadn't been destroyed by the evil Decepticons. But most of all, he didn't want to leave his friends. He didn't want to be separated from them. Smokescreen heard Optimus sigh, and shift to fix his overpowering gaze on Smokescreens own optics. "Smokescreen, the ground bridge is ready for you." He murmured quietly, his eyes reserved.

The smaller, younger Autobot sighed, shrugging nonchalantly."Yeah…"

He paused for a moment, before turning towards his leader, his role-model, his father-figure he had always looked up to… his _friend._" Optimus…I…I… I just want you to know that… I would follow you to end of the world and back, if you commanded me to do so… I would take a bullet for you, and I would sacrifice my spark to save yours...Take that for what it's worth."

Smokescreen mustered up his courage to form a smile on his face, just to let the Prime know how much he meant his words.

The bigger blue and red Autobot blinked slowly in surprise at his trainees statement, before smiling with as much gusto as Smokescreen." You know how much your word is worth to me. I shall not forget you, Smokescreen. We will meet again, that I can promise."

Smokescreen gazed at Optimus Prime one last time, taking in all the details, as if, if he looked away, he would forget everything. After a few moments, wich felt like an eternity, the blue Autobot rookie turned away from Optimus, before approaching the ground bridge where Ratchet was waiting with a sad look on his face."Don't worry about anything, Smokescreen. We'll regroup, we'll fix this."

The rookie nodded, an air of certainty about him." I know doc. I'll find all of ya, somehow… See ya soon." Smokescreen smirked at Ratchet, and Ratchet smirked back at him amusedly, as if saying mentally, _Ooh Smokescreen_.

"See you soon, rookie."

Before entering the ground bridge, the white, red and blue Autobot looked back at Optimus, catching his eye. _I'll find you, _He tried telling Optimus mentally, and the Prime nodded serenely, smiling. Smokescreen knew he had understood his message. "Goodbye." He spoke quietly above the loud roaring thrum of the ground bridge powering up.

He looked around once more, remembering all the things that had happened, all the tears that had been shed, of joy and of pain, and all the happiness that had filled the base. He hesitated one more time, before finally entering the ground-bridge.

**That's it, the rest of the story follows the original timeline of the series. I just wanted to add this too it. :D I totally ship Smokescreen and Optimus, i think they're so cute, and if anyone knows any good fics about the two of them, let me know! **

** But this fix was specifically made for a Fatherly Figure!Optimus and Smokescreen, not a pairing :). **

** That's it, hope you liked it! Please R&R, and you will make my day infinitely better if you do.**

**Have a good day!**

\


End file.
